£21million - true cost of failed 2018 World Cup bid revealed

Paying a high price: Prince William and David Beckham in Zurich during the failed bid

England's failed 2018 World Cup bid cost £21million - some £6million more than had been widely reported, according to the latest Football Association accounts.

The bid for the tournament ended in disaster last December, attracting only two FIFA members' votes including that of British FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson.

The FA accounts have for the first time provided details on the total spending and income of the bid. They show that although net spending was £14million, the total expenditure over two years was £21million. The spending was offset by some public money - local authorities from bidding cities provided £2.5million - plus a further £4.5million coming from sponsors.

Until now it had been thought the expenditure on the bid had been £15million, including the public money. That was also the sum mentioned by sports minister Hugh Robertson last week at the Leaders in Football conference in London.

Robertson said he regretted the money that had been spent on the 2018 bid because FIFA had been intent on taking the World Cup to new territories.

The minister said: "When I look back on it now, I wish we had the gumption or the knowledge to realise at a very early stage that FIFA wanted something fundamentally different than what we were putting on the table.

"I wish we had had foresight to appreciate that earlier in order to stop the investment of £15million."

England's spending per vote won was the worst of any bidding country apart from Australia, who spent £28million on their 2022 campaign and won just a single vote.